Chapter Four| Ava
We arrive at Kaden's and I run up to the door to see that it is already open, Charlie follows after me. I run up to Lily's room. "Lily?!" I call out for her once I enter her room. I see her crawl out from under her bed and she runs over to me, tears staining her little cheeks.
"Avey!" She whimpers and I pick her up, she buries her face in the crook of my neck and continues to sob.
I then start to focus on the yelling. "You are not fucking taking her away from me!" I hear Kaden shout, making Lily flinch in my arms.
"I don't want daddy to be sad!" Lily cries.
"Shhh, it's okay sweetie." I stroke her hair.
I go and put her into bed but she refuses to let go of my neck. "No!" She whimpers.
"It's okay, I'm just going to see if your daddy is okay." I gently pry her arms from around my neck.
"No, stay!" She cries even harder and the shouting from downstairs gets even louder. I turn to Charlie who looks at me worriedly.
"Do you want me to go?" He whispers and I instantly shake my head.
"If he see's you, you will probably end up making things worse. No offence." I give him a tight lipped smile, to which he just nods.
"Lily, do you know who your daddy is shouting at?" I sit next to her and she cuddles into my side, wrapping her small arms around me and resting her head on my stomach.
"Uncle Raymond." She whimpers.
"Is that your daddy's brother?"
She shakes her head. "My mummy's." She then slowly falls asleep.
I look at Charlie and he frowns at me. I slowly stand up, not wanting to wake Lily up. Charlie and I then make our way out of her room.
I follow the sound of Kaden's yelling. "You think you can just come here and take my little girl away from me. You've got no fucking right, I am her father!"
"I don't think Beth would have wanted her in your care, considering you ruined her life." I hear another man's voice which is obviously Lily's uncle.
"I don't give a shit about what Beth would of wanted, now get out of my fucking house!" Kaden snarls.
I watch a bald black man walk out of his office, he is too angry to see me and speed walks out of the house, slamming the door behind him.
I turn to Charlie. "Wait in the kitchen." Before he can protest I make my way into Kaden's office. He's sat in his office chair but he is facing the other way looking out the window.
"Kaden?" He spins around quickly and looks at me with wide eyes.
"What are you doing here, Angel?" He stands up.
"Lily called me. She's really shaken up, Kaden, she was so scared." He sighs and throws his head back.
"Shit." He throws himself back in the chair and rests his elbows on the wooden desk.
"You want to talk about it?" I move forward slowly and sit in the chair in front of him.
"Lily's uncle wants to take her away from me. He thinks she's isolated from having a bigger family when she's with me." He scoffs and picks up a glass what looks to have whiskey in it. He takes a massive gulp and then looks at me. "Where is my little girl?"
"Sleeping, the crying must of tired her out." I sigh.
"You didn't walk here did you?" He frowns at me and slowly puts down the glass.
"No, Charlie's here." His face hardens but he nods anyway, running his hands through his dark hair.
I really wanna run my fingers through his hair.
"What are you going to do about Raymond?" I ask.
"How do you know his name?" Kaden furrows his eyebrows.
"I asked Lily." I state and he just nods in response. He continues to stare at me and then he stands up and makes his way in front of me. He reaches down and strokes my cheek.
"You're so beautiful, Ava." He crouches down, so now he is looking up at me. He rests his hands on my knees and I feel my heart start to race.
This man is giving me butterflies.
"Kaden." I whisper not sure of what his intentions are.
"You've been around for a few days and you're already making my heart race every time I see you, you give me, a grown fucking man, butterflies! I always look forward to seeing you when you come over to babysit Lily. Got me feeling like a stupid teenager" He smiles and shakes his head. ell." I reach out and run my fingers through his hair. His eyes brighten at my gesture but it's quickly gone and replaced with a frown.
"I'm sorry, Ava." He whispers and I frown at him.
"You don't need to be sorry, Kaden. Not to me, I'll help you with the Raymond situation, if you want me to?" I smile and stroke the stubble on his face.
"No Ava, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to let you go." He stands up and turns his back to me.
"W-What? I don't understand." I breath out, also standing up.
He turns to face me. "I'm going to find someone else to babysit Lily."
What the hell?!
"What have I done? Kaden, I really don't understand." I say in shock.
"I don't want Lily to get too attached to someone who will only be in her life temporarily." He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
"Don't lie to me, Kaden." I walk up to him and look up. "This is about you, cause you can't control your feelings." I raise my eyebrows at him.
"Maybe you're right, Ava. Maybe I can't control my feels when I'm around you and for that I'm sorry." He runs his hands through his hair.
"Don't do this to Lily, she'll be upset. You don't even have to look at me. I'll come here and leave straight away, you won't even know I was here. But I really need this job, Kaden." I plead with him.
"I'm sure loads of people will want to hire you." I roll my eyes at his comment starting to get annoyed again.
"Right." I nod and give a tight lipped smile. "Unbelievable."
"Ava, I really am sorry." He tries to advance forward but I hold my hands up.
"You're not making any sense!" I shout.
"It doesn't matter now!" He says back. I just look at him with wide eyes.
What the fuck is going on?
"Do you know what Kaden? Fine! If that's what you want I'm going to leave and I won't come back." I throw my hands up in frustration and start to walk out. I open the door and my eyes widen when I look down and see Lily sat crying, clutching onto her teddy bear.
"Y-you go?" She whispers and rubs her eyes. "D-Don't go."
I turn to look at Kaden, who clenches his eyes shut for a couple seconds and then walks over to us and picks Lily up.
"It's okay, sweetie." I smile at her and she looks at Kaden with tear filled eyes.
"Daddy, tell her to stay." She clutches a strand of his hair.
He looks at me. "I'm sure we'll find another babysitter, baby." He tells her and my heart literally breaks there and then.
I give him my best evil glare and go and find Charlie.
"Let's go." I say bluntly and storm out of the house, not before hearing Lily's crying.
"What's going on?" Charlie says, once he catches up with me.
"I'm out of a job." I laugh when we get in the car. "Yet again! All because he doesn't want me to get attached to Lily."
"I think it's a bit late for that." Charlie shakes his head.
"And me." He looks at me quickly and frowns. "He doesn't want to get attached to me as well."
"Like I said, a bit late for that." Charlie repeats. "Ava, I've seen the way that guy looks at you, give it a couple days and you'll be back."
"Yeah, whatever." I grumble, looking out the window.
What a fucking night.
Kaden
"Come on, princess. Please stop crying." I cuddle her closer but she cries harder, clutching onto my neck.
"Avey!" She sobs and I clench my eyes shut. "I want Avey!"
"I know, I know." I stroke her hair.
"Please, Daddy!" She pulls back a little to look at me and my heart breaks at the sight of my little girl.
"I can't." I whisper and she frowns, she wriggles about wanting me to let her down. I let her down.
I literally let her down.
"Princess?" I look down at her but she scowls at me and climbs into her bed, facing the wall. "Please don't be mad at me." I go and sit at the edge of her bed. "You'll make daddy sad."
I'm already sad.
"You made me sad and I don't want to talk to you, so go." She whispers.
My own eyes start to water.
Lily has never been this mad at me. I slowly get up and kiss the side of her head. "Goodnight, Princess." I wait a couple seconds but she does not respond, so I make my way out and towards my own bedroom.
Once I'm in bed I check the alarm clock and see that it's three in the morning.
Luckily I don't have work in the morning so I can find a new babysitter.
Just as I'm about to fall asleep, I feel the bed dip. I turn around and see Lily climbing under the covers.
"I'm sorry." She whispers in a sad voice. She climbs on top of my chest. "Please bring Avey back, daddy." She says before falling asleep.
I don't think Ava would forgive me.
Why am I so fucking selfish?
💛